Podcast Summary: "All Of It" – Allison Russell's 'The Returner'

Podcast: All Of It (WNYC)
Host: Koosha Navodarman (for Alison Stewart)
Date: March 29, 2024
Episode Focus: An in-depth conversation and live performance with musician and songwriter Allison Russell about her Grammy-winning album, The Returner.

Main Theme/Overview

This episode of All Of It spotlights Allison Russell, a Montreal-born, Nashville-based musician whose latest album, The Returner, has garnered critical acclaim and a Grammy. The discussion dives into Russell’s artistic inspirations, her creative process, and the personal and communal stories embedded in her music. The episode also features a powerful live performance and highlights the role of mentorship, community, and heritage in contemporary Americana and country music.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Setting the Stage: Women's History Month & Producer's Choice

• The show is part of a special "Producer Picks" series celebrating Women's History Month, chosen by producers Luke Green and Elle Malik Anderson, featuring outstanding women in culture and music.
• Allison Russell is spotlighted for her role in the "new progressive country or Americana movement," centering women and people of color in Nashville (05:18).

2. The Genesis of "The Returner"

• Inspiration at Joni Mitchell’s Newport Concert:

  • The idea for the title track originated after Russell participated with Joni Mitchell at the "Surprise Joni Jam" at Newport.
  • She described this as a "mystical, transcendent moment" witnessing Mitchell’s creative return against enormous odds (06:14).
  • Russell began the concept by writing a poem, calling Mitchell "Our Lady Returner," and notes that the song’s gestation took several months.

• On Joni Mitchell’s Impact:

  • Russell credits Joni Mitchell as a profound influence:

    "Just on my humanity, on my artistry. The reason I play clarinet...was because of the sound on [Mitchell's] record, Ladies of the Canyon." (07:16)

  • She fondly recalls performing with Mitchell—a full-circle moment for her as a fan and fellow musician (07:16).

3. Songwriting Process and Influences

• Russell explains her intuitive, exploratory songwriting:

  "I never know what I'm writing about. I write to find out what it is I'm writing about. It's the exploration." (08:08, paraphrasing Joe Henry)

• Her influences are multifaceted, drawing from people, experiences, and especially place—particularly her meditative walks in Nashville’s Shelby Bottoms nature preserve (09:07).

• Shelby Bottoms as Creative Space:

  • Russell describes it as “a beautiful nature preserve in the heart of the city” where time seems suspended (09:07).
  • Her creative process is deeply tied to nature, reflection, and walking her rescue dog, Millie the Moocher.

4. Making the Album: Community & Studio Stories

• Due to vinyl production delays, the album was recorded three months ahead of schedule—an experience Russell views as “serendipitous” (10:29).

• The recording took place over the 2022 winter solstice at the legendary Jim Henson Studios, whose legacy includes landmark albums from Joni Mitchell, Carole King, and Tina Turner (10:29).

• Kermit Connections:

  • Russell credits Kermit the Frog for sparking her love of the banjo (11:31).
  • She remarks, “Before I knew anything about my own African diaspora...I play banjo because of Kermit the Frog.” (11:35)
  • The studio’s archway, adorned by Kermit, greeted the musicians each day (11:58).

• The album features an all-star circle of women musicians, whose aligned schedules allowed a brief, intense, and magical session (10:30).

5. Live Performance: "Eve Was Black"

• Russell performs “Eve Was Black” solo, offering what she calls a “bare bones version” to foreground the song’s emotional core (12:06).
• She introduces the song as “an open letter...to my adoptive father, who was my primary abuser in childhood" (12:06).
• The thematic focus: the intertwined legacies of personal trauma and the ideology of white supremacy, concluding with an invitation to “rejoin the circle of equal humanity.”
  • Quote:

    “There are a lot of people suffering from the disease of the false ideology of white supremacy. So this is an invitation to rethink… understand that the most powerful thing any human can ever do is say, ‘I’m sorry. I was wrong.’” (12:06)

✨ Notable Performance Moment

• Russell’s performance is described by the host as an emotionally intense “conversation through music”—enhanced by her physical movement and presence while playing (17:34).
  • Quote:

    “That I’m shook, I guess, is the right word for that right now.” — Koosha Navodarman (17:34)

6. The Role of Artistic Ancestors: The Onstage Altar

• Russell keeps photos of Mavis Staples, Joni Mitchell, and Prince near her while performing as a personal “altar of inspiration” and tribute to her musical and activist forebears (18:19).
• She intends to add Sinead O’Connor and Tracy Chapman to this altar, which reminds her of her purpose and community (18:19).
  • Quote:

    “It just helps remind me… whose footsteps we’re following in and whose shoulders we’re standing on and what inspires me and what I want to bring forward…” (18:19)

Notable Quotes

• On Artistry & Influence:

  "[Joni Mitchell had an impact] just on my humanity, on my artistry. The reason I play clarinet..." (07:16)

• On Nature and Creative Process:

  "You feel like you stepped into another time and another world even in the midst of the city." (09:07)

• On Racial Legacies and Healing:

  “This is an invitation to rethink and to join this…circle of equal humanity and understand that the most powerful thing any human can ever do is say, ‘I’m sorry, I was wrong.’” (12:06)

• On Musical Community:

  "We had six days where we could all align our stars and spheres and schedules, and we got to record at the old A and M studios, which is now Jim Henson Studios, presided over by Kermit the Frog." (10:29)

• On Iconic Inspiration:

  “The reason I play banjo is Kermit.” (11:31)

• On Artistic “Ancestors”:

  “…these are artists whose music and whose…activism has also inspired me.” (18:19)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Producer Introduction & Episode Theme – 01:57–04:03
• Opening Remarks About Allison Russell – 04:03–05:56
• Inspiration for "The Returner" & Joni Mitchell Influence – 06:14–08:02
• Artistic Process & Influence (Songwriting Discussion) – 08:08–08:50
• Shelby Bottoms and Creative Practice – 09:07–10:29
• Recording the Album: Jim Henson Studios & Collaborators – 10:29–11:29
• Kermit the Frog and Banjo Inspiration – 11:31–11:58
• Live Performance: “Eve Was Black” – 12:06–17:34
• Host's Reaction & Performance Reflection – 17:34–17:52
• Russell’s Onstage Altar and “Artistic Ancestors” – 18:19–18:59

Memorable Moments

• Russell’s candid description of music as personal healing and a statement against white supremacy.
• Her heartfelt tribute to Joni Mitchell, both musically and as a personal hero.
• Her lighthearted but profound connection to Kermit the Frog and the legacy of the Jim Henson Studios.
• The spiritually charged live performance of “Eve Was Black,” described by the host as “shook.”
• The revelation of her onstage altar as a living tribute to her mentors and the ongoing circularity of artistic tradition.

Episode Takeaway

Allison Russell’s The Returner is more than a musical project—it’s a celebration of artistic inheritance, a reckoning with histories painful and joyful, and an exercise in radical community-making. The episode is rich with personal testimony, live artistry, and cultural reflection, making it essential listening for anyone interested in the soul of contemporary roots music.